BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Pinus rigida | Pitch Pine 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Pitch pine is a small to medium-sized native, evergreen conifer with
stiff, wide-spreading needles and platy bark.  A mature tree ranges from
20 to 100 feet (6-30 m), but seldom exceeds 79 feet (24 m) in height and
23 inches (60 cm) in diameter [19,25].  Pitch pines often have multiple
trunks, stubby branches, clusters of needle bundles growing on the
trunks, and flat tops [9].  A pitch pine that grows from a seedling and
has not been subject to fire can have good form.  The species has a deep
taproot and abundant lateral roots that can live and grow beneath the
water table [22,25].

In the Pine Plains of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, pitch pine is dwarfed
and rarely exceeds 10 feet (3 m) in height.  Frequent fires and
competition for limited nutrients are the primary cause of the low
stature, but genetic differences have also been found between the
dwarfed and nondrawfed forms [4,7,24].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Sexual:  Open-grown trees generally begin producing mature cones at 8 to
12 years of age, but open-grown sprouts can bear mature cones after only
3 years.  A mature cone is 4 to 7 inches (10-18 cm) long and, on
average, has 74 seeds of which 73 percent are viable.  Good seed crops
occur at intervals of 4 to 9 years [22,25].  Good and Good [14] compared
reproduction between the New Jersey Pine Plains dwarfed population and
the nondwarfed Pine Barren population. They found that dwarfed pitch
pine reproduces earlier, has a higher percentage of female cones, and
has more cones overall than does nondwarfed pitch pine.

Seed dissemination:  Pitch pine is a polymorphic species; individuals
have either serotinous or nonserotinous cones, but not both [13].
Nonserotinous cones open soon after maturity; the seeds are dispersed by
wind, and although equipped with large wings, are not carried far
[22,25].

Seedling development:  Pitch pine seeds require mineral soil for
germination.  Thick litter impedes epigeal germination because the seeds
are small and are not capable of growing a large taproot without mineral
soil nourishment.  Seeds are viable on the forest floor for up to 1
year.  Seed viability decreases with increasing age of serotinous cones.
Seedlings grow slowly during the first 5 years and then more rapidly.
Seedlings younger than 2 years old are susceptible to drought.  Many
seedlings develop basal stem crooks to protect dormant buds [22].

Roots:  The taproot grows fast in the first 8 to 10 years to a maximum
depth of 8 feet (2.5 m), with lateral roots becoming more important in
later development.  Mycorrhizae are a common feature of pitch pine roots
[4,32].

Vegetative reproduction:  Pitch pine can reproduce by vigorous sprouting
from dormant buds along the bole of the tree.  This species is unusual
in that dormant buds can also sprout from the base of the tree if the
tree is top-killed or cut down [25].  While dormant buds continue to
sprout, the sprout growth rate slows once the root crown reaches 20
years of age [28].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
In southern New England, pitch pine grows at sea level and in river
valleys.  In the southern Appalachian Mountains, it is found at
elevations between 980 and 5,500 feet (300-1,700 m) [9,25].  Many
overstory species grow with pitch pine because of its wide range of
latitude and sites.  In addition to those species mentioned in
Distribution and Occurrence, overstory associates include Table Mountain
pine, eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica),
red maple (Acer rubrum), gray birch (Betula populifolia), various
hickories (Carya spp.), and various oaks (Quercus spp.) [25].  Areas
where pitch pine is dominant and associated with oaks are termed pine
barrens and are scattered but common in the northeastern United States
[22,37].

Common understory associates of pitch pine on upland sites are lowland
blueberries (Vaccinium pallidum or V. angustifolium) and black
huckleberry and dangleberry (Gaylussacia baccata and G. frondosa).  A
variety of shrubs are common in lowland sites.  Where wildfire is
frequent, bear oak (Q. ilicifolia) and dwarf chinkapin oak (Q.
prinoides) are common understory associates [10,22,25].

Pitch pine usually grows in infertile, sandy or gravelly soils.  The
soils are typically acidic with leached A2 horizons [22].  The main soil
types are Entisols, Ultisols, Spodosols, and Alfisols.  In New England,
the pitch pine grows in sandy outwash plains, and in the southern
Appalachian Mountains it grows on steep slopes and ridges, often in
narrow bands, where soils are shallow [22,25,40,42].

Pitch pine can grow in a wide range of moisture conditions from
well-drained dry slopes to swamps, but it grows best on moist sandy loam
soil [9,25].  Because of root tolerance of water, seedlings can grow
where the water table is only 8 inches (20.5 cm) below the surface in
well-drained soils [32,42].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Pitch pine, intolerant of shade and competition, is an invader species
and regenerates well after disturbances.  Frequent fires and poor soil
conditions allow subclimax pitch pine to remain the dominant species.
In the absence of fire, eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) and eastern
hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) supplant pitch pine in its northern range and
numerous hardwoods (usually oaks and hickories) supplant it in the
southern mountains [42].



SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Staminate flowers are visible by the third week in April and pistillate
flowers by May 1.  The pollen is usually shed the second or third week
in May, but the timing is variable.  Cones mature 16 to 18 months after
pollination.  Nonserotinous cones release seeds from November to April,
with most seeds released in the first 2 months after the cone has opened
[22,25].

Related categories for Species: Pinus rigida | Pitch Pine